Completed projects in the “Barrier-free programme”
Four projects in the “Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich” program were successfully completed at the end of 2023. The quarterly reporting provides a comprehensive overview of all ongoing activities and results achieved in the 14 sub-projects. All projects have the common goal of making ETH Zurich's infrastructure accessible in accordance with the "Design for all" principle.
Real estate expertise and quality control
Three sub-projects led by Dominik Jenni (Real Estate Management) were successfully completed at the end of 2023.
- Specialist knowledge about Barrier-free construction was expanded. Workshops, training courses and information events as well as the provision of standards, guidelines and checklists were used to raise awareness and inform employees in the Real Estate Management.
- With regard to the "Design for all" principle, it was decided not to draw up new and general specifications for ETH Zurich, but to assess each building individually and adapt it in accordance with "Design for all".
- A new concept for new buildings and large-scale renovations is now available, which is intended to ensure Barrier-free accessibility in accordance with the SIA 500 "Barrier-free buildings" standard in future. Ongoing quality control during and at the end of the construction phase of new and renovated buildings should ensure that ETH buildings comply with the barrier-free standard in future.
The Real Estate Management incorporated the measures and processes developed into its day-to-day business.
A further sub-project, which deals with the Barrier-free adaptation of existing ETH buildings, will take several more years to complete. Due to the large number of existing buildings at ETH Zurich, it is estimated that it will take until 2036 for them to be completely barrier-free.
ETH Library know-how and services
The results of the ETH Library's sub-project, led by Cindy Hertach and André Reichmuth, were also incorporated into day-to-day business at the end of 2023: A new website provides information about the newly established accessible learning workstations, links to an online tool that automatically converts documents into accessible media, as well as other ETH Library accessibility services. In addition, from spring 2024, an ETH Library team will support ETH members in obtaining literature in a suitable accessible form if required.
The results of this sub-project are also based on the comprehensive expansion of accessibility expertise. By means of a detailed analysis of existing ETH media and existing platforms, as well as an exchange with other university libraries and publishers, it was possible to build up broad expertise on accessibility of documents. In addition, ETH Library employees with direct customer contact were sensitized and trained to be able to competently support all people who use the library.
Always up to date
The quarterly reporting provides a comprehensive overview of all current activities and results achieved by “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich”. All new information websites, services and contact addresses are listed or linked. In addition, the program website is currently being revised to include all accessibility-related offers at a glance.
Please note: Even though many results have already been achieved, ETH Zurich is not yet Barrier-free. As mentioned above, further structural adjustments are necessary, especially in the buildings, but many courses and teaching materials must also be made accessible step by step by the numerous lecturers at ETH Zurich.
You can find the current reporting on our program website under "News" and in the "Archive".
Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich is committed to accessibility: over the course of the next few years, people with disabilities and those with special needs – whether students, lecturers, researchers, staff or visitors – are to benefit from greatly improved access to ETH buildings and services.
The proposed measures will be implemented in 14 sub-projects under three categories: “Construction, Building Usage and Architecture”, “Organisation and Culture” and “Technology, Communication and Teaching”.
For more information on the programme and the 14 sub-projects, visit the programme website and the new exhibition on the topic of “barrier-free” in the OCT building.
Note on the translation
This text has been translated for your convenience using a machine translation tool. Although reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, it may not be perfect. If in doubt, please refer to the German version.
Should you come upon significant translation mistakes, please send a short message to so that we can correct them. Thank you very much.
Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.